Firefox Lockwise. Take the passwords you’ve saved in Firefox with you everywhere. Download for iOS; Download for Android; Support; Firefox Monitor. See if your personal info has been leaked online, and sign up for future breach alerts. Check for Breaches; See Breaches; Security Tips; Pocket. Save quality content from anywhere. Fuel your mind. Click the Firefox menu and select Exit. Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox. Click the Firefox menu and select Quit. In your profile folder, delete the file content-prefs.sqlite. It will be recreated next time you open Firefox. Refresh Firefox. Most Mac owners shouldn’t encounter too many performance issues over the first three years or so of use. After that, things start to go downhill. Once you pass the five- or six-year mark, you’re going to have to consistently think about whether the software you run gets the most out of your machine.
When Firefox hangs, it stops responding to your clicks and keystrokes and doesn't seem to be doing anything. Also, a '(Not Responding)' label is displayed in the title bar and the mouse cursor becomes a spinning wheel when it's over the Firefox window.Also, the mouse becomes a spinning wait cursor when it's over the Firefox window. This article gives you solutions to Firefox hangs depending on when they happen.
- If Firefox uses a lot of computer resources, see the solutions proposed in Firefox uses too much memory or CPU resources - How to fix.
- If you get a 'Warning: Unresponsive script' prompt, see Warning Unresponsive script - What it means and how to fix it.
- If Firefox closes unexpectedly, see Firefox crashes - Troubleshoot, prevent and get help fixing crashes.
To resolve hanging problems not specifically mentioned in this article, or if the suggested solutions do not solve the problem, see Troubleshoot and diagnose Firefox problems.
Note: The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information. Consider using it before going through a lengthy troubleshooting process.
Note: If you send performance data, Mozilla will gather data including hangs for your Firefox, which will help making Firefox better for future versions.
Table of Contents
- 1Firefox hangs at random times
- 3Firefox hangs after using it for a long time
- 4Firefox hangs when downloading files or saving images
- 5Firefox hangs when you quit it
If Firefox seems to hang randomly and not after a specific action (for example, downloading a file or quitting Firefox), try the solutions in this section.
Create a new places database
If hangs are periodic, it may be caused by a corrupted places database.
Information: The 'places' files store the annotations, bookmarks, favorite icons, input history, keywords, and browsing history (a record of visited pages).
To create a new places database, do the following:
Warning: This will clear your browsing history and remove bookmarks of the day.
- Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit. Wait until Firefox has completely quit.
- In the Firefox profile folder, find and rename the files places.sqlite to places.sqlite.old and places.sqlite-journal to places.sqlite-journal.old (if it exists).
- To rename a file, right-click on it and select rename from the menuclick on it once to select it and then click a second time on the file name to make it editable. Then add .old to the end of its name.
- Finally, reopen Firefox.
- When Firefox reopens it will create a new places database. Your browsing history will be lost but Firefox will automatically import your bookmarks from the most recent backup file.
Turn off hardware acceleration
With some graphics card and graphics driver setups, Firefox may hang when using hardware acceleration. You can try turning off hardware acceleration to see if it fixes the problem.
- Click the menu button and select ..
- Select the Advanced panel and the General tab.
- Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
- Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
- Start Firefox the way you normally do.
- Click the menu button and select ..
- Select the General panel.
- Under Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings.
Additional settings will be displayed. - Uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available.
- Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
- Start Firefox the way you normally do.
If the problem is no longer happening, then hardware acceleration was likely the cause. You can try updating your graphics drivers to see if that fixes it or simply run without hardware acceleration.
Delete duplicated Session Restore files
Firefox may be slow to respond or hang if multiple copies of its Session Restore file have been created:
- Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
- Locate and delete the sessionstore.js file and any copies, such as sessionstore-1.js, sessionstore-2.js.
Change the PAC implementation
If you're using a proxy auto-config file (PAC), Firefox may hang when you attempt to load sites that don't exist or that you haven't opened recently. To determine if you use an automatic proxy configuration file:
- Click the menu button and select ..
- In the General panel, go down to the Network ProxyNetwork Settings section.
- Click . The Connection Settings dialog appears.
- If Automatic proxy configuration URL is selected, you are using an automatic proxy configuration file. Do not disable this setting, which will prevent you from accessing the Internet. Instead, provide this workaround to your network administrator.
- Click .
See Playing Flash videos makes Firefox hang.
Update Firefox
The latest Firefox versions includes improvements in memory usage, especially during long sessions. Update Firefox to the latest version.
Restart Firefox
Firefox may hang if left open for long periods of time. To fix the issue, restart Firefox.
If you regularly leave Firefox open so that you return to where you left off, you may want to use Firefox's Session Restore feature. For more information, see Configuring session restore.
If Firefox hangs when you attempt to download a file or save an image, try these solutions:
Clear download history
Firefox may hang when downloading files if your download history has grown too large. To clear the download history:
- Click the Downloads button on the toolbar, if it's available, or else click the Library button and click Downloads from the menu.
- Click Show All Downloads at the bottom of the Downloads panel. The Library window will open.
- Click the button at the top of the Library window.
- Download some sample files to see if the hanging has stopped.
For more information about managing your downloads, see Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox.
Choose a different download folder
Firefox may hang if the last download folder location (e.g. a shared volume or USB drive) is no longer available. To fix this:
- Click the menu button and select ..
- Select the General panel.
- Under Downloads, select Save files to and click the button.
- In the Choose Download Folder window, choose a new folder location.
- Close the about:preferences page. Any changes you've made will automatically be saved.
See if you are now able to download files or save images. If this works, you can go back to your Firefox settings, if you wish, and select Always ask me where to save my files.
Sometimes when you close Firefox, it may stop responding and remain in memory, even though no Firefox windows are open. This can prevent Firefox from working properly the next time you open it or you may see a 'Close Firefox' dialog box with an error message, Firefox is already running, but is not responding.A copy of Firefox is already open. You must then end all Firefox processes or restart the computer before you can reopen Firefox (see 'Firefox is already running but is not responding' error - How to fix for other causes and solutions).
Close Firefox completely
- Click the Firefox menu and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu and select Quit.
- Close any remaining dialog boxes or secondary windows such as the Library window.
If Firefox processes that remain in memory at exit are a recurring problem, try the following solutions.
Troubleshoot your extensions
A problematic extension can cause the problem, which can be resolved by disabling or uninstalling the extension. For information on diagnosing and fixing problems caused by faulty extensions, see the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article.
Troubleshoot your Internet security software
Interactions between certain Internet security software (firewall, anti-virus software) is reported to cause hangs on some systems. You can try to configure your firewall to see if it helps the hang go away.
When resuming Windows from hibernation and Firefox hangs for several minutes it might be due to an issue of the pre-installed 'ThinkVantage Technologies Power Manager 6'. One option to solve this is to uninstall the software. Another option is to check for a later version of the software on the Lenovo support website and see if that fixes the problem. See Bug 1106202 for more details.
Based on information from Firefox hangs (mozillaZine KB)
As a Dutch proverb has it: “Old foxes want no tutors.” Unfortunately, this is not the case with Firefox, which could benefit from some mentoring. A browser that is constantly crashing cannot be considered a mainstay of excellent browsing experience despite its other redeeming features such as security, pop-ups blocking or the fact that it is issued free of charge. Those who use Firefox on Macs or MacBooks all the time are well familiar with annoying crashes and regular freezing. So what are the reasons for the browser getting paralyzed?
Although the causes may vary, they fall into the following categories:
The user browses plugins-and animation-heavy websites, which have a lower than average loading speed, and put an additional burden on Firefox;
Poor browsing habits that are manifested in the excessively large number of opened tabs and windows;
Too many RAM intensive applications are running simultaneously, thereby slowing down the browser;
An old version of Firefox is used;
Unreasonably large size of the browser cache inhibits the optimal performance of Firefox;
A computer is slow in general.
What Can Be Done When Mozilla Firefox Not Responding on Mac?
After discovering why Firefox can be painfully slow, it is time to consider the avenues for improvement. Whenever the browser becomes totally unresponsive, it is a sure sign that one or several problems outlined in the previous section of the article have overwhelmed the once brawny and powerful fox.
The first recourse is to force quit the browser. To this end:
- In the Apple Menu, select the Force Quit option (you can also use the Command – Option – Esc combination);
- In the pop-up window, click on the Force Quit button to close Firefox.
Firefox For Mac Frozen Screen
If the entire system is frozen, it is necessary to make a hard reboot by holding the power button for a few seconds.
Best muse widgets. What needs to be done next is to open the browser and check its version. To do so:
- Click on the Firefox tab at the top of the browser’s window;
- In the window that opens, choose the About Firefox
- If you are using an outdated version of Firefox, it will automatically update itself.
- When the updates are downloaded, click on the Restart to Update Firefox button to initiate the installation of the latest version of the browser.
Ok, you have updated Firefox and try to use it to access your favorite website. However, after opening only a few tabs, it gets painfully slow and finally stops working altogether. Here’s a tested solution for this problem: try refreshing Firefox. The refreshing is used to restore the browser to its default settings, thereby improving its performance. To get rid of the drop in performance precipitated by misconfigured settings and the update, do the following:
- Click on the FirefoxMenu button and chose the Troubleshooting Information tab (alternatively, type about:support in the search bar);
After completing these steps, all add-ons and settings of the browser will be refreshed. It should also be mentioned that bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history will not be removed from Firefox.
If the browser can’t stand on its furry feet and crashes on startup, the problem might be rooted in outdated extensions. To check whether problematic add-ons are responsible for regular crashes, try launching it in the Safe Mode. To this end:
- Click on the Firefox Menu button;
- Select the Help tab;
- In the tab, choose the Restart with Add-ons Disabled option (another way to run the browser in the Safe Mode is to hold the Shift key during the launch).
If the browser runs normally in the Safe Mode, it is a sign that add-ons are responsible for the crashing. To disable or update the add-ons:
- Click on the Firefox Menu button;
- Select the Add-ons tab and proceed to the Extensions panel;
- Either disable or update each add-on;
- Restart Firefox.
To ensure that add-ons do not limit the functionality of the browser, keep them up to date by following the steps below:
- In the Firefox Menu, select the Add-ons tab and proceed to the Extensions;
- Click on the gear icon to change the update settings and select the Update Add-ons Automatically
- Open the Finder and navigate to the Applications folder;
- Locate Firefox;
- Drag it to the Trash;
- Enter your username and password to confirm the deletion;
- Click on the OK button;
- Empty the Trash;
- Download the latest version of the browser here;
- Reinstall Firefox.
You are using Firefox when all of a sudden a tab closes, and you are presented with the Gah. Your tab just crashed window.
If the disheartening window is an all too familiar sight for you, consider clearing the cache file. To clear the cache:
- Click on the Firefox Menu button;
- Select the Options tab;
- In the Privacy & Security tab, find the Cached Web Content section and click on the Clear Now button;
It is recommended to prevent the expansion of the cache file, which makes Firefox sluggish, by changing the browser settings to cleaning it automatically upon each closing. This can be done in seven simple steps:
Firefox For Mac Frozen Keyboard
- Click on the FirefoxMenu button and chose the Options tab;
- From the Privacy & Security tab navigate to the History section;
- Choose the Use custom settings for history option;
- Check the box next to Clear history when Firefox closes;
- Click on the Settings button;
- Check the box next to Cache and click on the OK button;
- Now close the window and you’re done!